A Slow-Moving Crisis

Built entirely with code and the p5.js JavaScript library, this editorial illustration was designed to accompany The Washington Post article, ‘A Slow-Moving Crisis Is Paralyzing States and Cities,’ which describes the dearth of people willing to apply for public sector jobs since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The core of this illustration is a sign generator that continuously displays random combinations of job postings that fill the page. A number of parameters have been programmed to be randomized, including the text of the signs, the colors, the borders, and the brightness. The seemingly infinite cycle of postings is meant to reflect the urgent need of employers looking to fill vacancies in the workforce—vacancies which have significant impacts on the daily lives of people across the country.